Liuyao Divination
ADVANCED I CHING · WEN WANG GUA
KEY TAKEAWAYS / TL;DR
- ◈Liuyao attaches Stems and Branches (Najia) and Five Elements to every line of a hexagram.
- ◈It reads beyond the classical line text by studying Element Clashes, Combos, and Strengths based on the exact Month and Day of the reading.
- ◈Every reading centers around the "Shi" (Subject) and "Ying" (Object) lines, surrounded by the "Six Relationships" (Wealth, Authority, etc.) to identify specific event roles and pressures.
By the Numbers
- 6
- Hexagram Lines
- Each line carries Branch, Element, Kinship, and Spirit data.
- 6
- Kinship Labels
- Each line is classified by its relationship to the palace element.
- 8
- Palaces
- The 64 hexagrams are classified into eight palace families.
Liuyao (六爻), also known as the "Wen Wang Gua" (King Wen Oracle) or "Najia" (纳甲) system, is a technical branch of I Ching divination. While classical I Ching relies heavily on the philosophical text (the Judgments and Line texts), Liuyao analyzes the symbolic interactions of the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, and Earthly Branches attached to the six lines of the hexagram.
Created by the Han Dynasty scholar Jing Fang (京房, 77–37 BCE), this system transforms the hexagram from a symbolic image into a technical model for mapping time, space, elements, and human relationships.
METHOD SOURCE NOTES
- Jing Fang and the Najia layer
- Used for the stem-branch assignment logic that turns a hexagram into a calculable Five Element chart. The page treats this as a technical layer added to the I Ching, not as the same thing as the Zhou Yi line text.
- Traditional line: 京房易传 / Najia and Wen Wang Gua practice.
- Three-coin casting method
- Used for the 6, 7, 8, and 9 line-generation table. The method defines the input; interpretation still depends on question context, month/day, and the chosen focus line.
- Reference layer: I Ching divination, three-coin method; later Liuyao manuals.
THE ENGINE: THE FIVE ELEMENTS
The working foundation of Liuyao is understanding how the Five Elements generate (support) and overcome (restrain) each other. This cycle is one of the core reference frames of the method.
ANATOMY OF A HEXAGRAM
How a professional Liuyao reading is structured piece by piece
THE EIGHT PALACES
The structural taxonomy of the 64 hexagrams
In Liuyao, the 64 hexagrams are treated like eight great families. The 64 hexagrams are divided into Eight "Palaces" (Ba Gong), each governed by one of the eight pure trigrams (Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui).
A hexagram inherits the core "Element" of its Palace. For example, any hexagram belonging to the Zhen (Thunder) Palace is inherently a "Wood" hexagram. This element serves as the base baseline (the "Self" element) against which all lines in the hexagram are compared to generate the Six Kinships.
SHI AND YING
The Subject and the Object
Every hexagram designates two specific lines as "Shi" (世) and "Ying" (应). They separate the hexagram into a Host-Guest dynamic.
The Shi line represents YOU — the querent or the core subject of the reading. If Shi is located on the second line, it suggests a foundational role; if Shi is on the fifth line, the reading may describe more visible agency.
The Ying line represents the OBJECT — the other person, the destination, or the opposing force. If Shi generates Ying, it shows you actively pursuing or helping the subject. If Ying overcomes Shi, it suggests the objective or person may currently exert stronger pressure on you.
THE SIX KINSHIPS
Translating elements into life events
The heart of Liuyao interpretation lies in the Six Kinships (Liu Qin). By comparing the element of each line against the Palace's core element, we map elements to real-world objects:
• Parents (父母 - Generates you): Represents documents, contracts, exams, elders, protection, vehicles. Very strong Parents can suggest pressure or reduced ease.
• Siblings (兄弟 - Same element): Represents friends, competitors, resource sharing, and dispersal of wealth. In money questions, it is often read as competition or leakage.
• Offspring (子孙 - You generate): Represents children, employees, remedies, joy, and peace. It is often treated as a sign of relief or pressure reduction.
• Wealth (妻财 - You overcome): Represents money, assets, food, desires, and partner symbolism. It is important in business readings, but its strength still depends on context.
• Authority (官鬼 - Overcomes you): Represents bosses, government, pressure, lawsuits, and spouse symbolism. It can support promotion questions while adding caution in safety or wellness-related questions.
MONTH AND DAY MASTERS
Key arbiters of line strength
A line might be "Wealth," but if it has little support, the reading may not point to obtainable money. The innate label of a line is static, but its practical strength is assessed through the divination day's environment: the Lunar Month (月建) and Lunar Day (日辰).
• The Lunar Month: It governs the "season" or temperature of the reading. If your Wealth line is Wood, but the Month is Autumn (Metal), the model treats that line as under seasonal pressure. This is known as "Month Ruptured" (月破).
• The Lunar Day: It governs the immediate momentum. Even if your line is weak due to the Month, a supportive Day Master may add short-term support to the situation.
Wang Shuai & Combo/Clash
Decoding the badges like "M:Gen", "D:Over", "Void" next to hexagram lines
On the right side of the lines, you will see colored badges (e.g., "M:Flourish", "D:Imprison", "Combo"). These are the auto-calculated [Energy States & Interactions].
• [Flourish/Same] (Prosper): Same element. Like being on home turf, usually read as strong support (e.g., Wood meets Wood).
• [Assist/Gen] (Generated): Month/Day generates the line. Like receiving help, the line gains support (e.g., Wood meets Water).
• [Rest]: The line generates Month/Day. Energy is drained outwards, like needing rest (e.g., Wood meets Fire).
• [Imprison]: The line overcomes Month/Day. Like pushing against a heavy obstacle, the line is constrained (e.g., Wood meets Earth).
• [Dead/Over]: Month/Day overcomes the line. The line is under strong pressure and is treated as weak in the model (e.g., Wood meets Metal).
• [Combo]: Combined with Month/Day. Represents being entangled, delayed, or forming a tight partnership.
• [Clash/Rupture]: Clashing with Month/Day. Represents disruption, direct conflict, separation, or rapid sudden changes.
THE SIX SPIRITS
The psychological and atmospheric layer
Six symbolic beasts are mechanically tied to the Day Stem. They do not dictate success or failure, but act as "adjectives" to add nuance to how an event unfolds. For example, loss under the Vermilion Bird may lean toward documents or disputes, while loss under the Tortoise may lean toward hidden factors.
- Azure Dragon (青龙): Joy, marriage, new beginnings, nobility, banquets, virtue.
- Vermilion Bird (朱雀): News, documents, arguments, gossip, debate, fire hazards.
- Hook (勾陈): Stubbornness, delays, real estate, office politics, old connections.
- Soaring Serpent (腾蛇): Anxiety, nightmares, surprises, trickery, entanglement.
- White Tiger (白虎): Conflict, urgent events, injury symbolism, speed, forceful action.
- Black Tortoise (玄武): Secrets, theft, illicit affairs, confusion, hidden agendas.
THE MECHANISM: THREE-COIN METHOD
How tossing three coins generates the evolving Yin and Yang lines
The most widely used method of casting a hexagram involves tossing three coins simultaneously. Each coin has two sides: the inscribed face (with characters) counts as Yin and is assigned a value of 2, while the blank/reverse face counts as Yang and is assigned a value of 3.
For each toss, sum the three coins' values. The total will be one of four possible numbers:
6 = Old Yin: All three coins show Yin (2+2+2). A broken line that is CHANGING — it will transform into Yang in the changed hexagram. Symbol: ⚋✕
7 = Young Yang: Two Yin + one Yang (2+2+3). A solid line that is STATIC — it stays as Yang. Symbol: ⚊
8 = Young Yin: Two Yang + one Yin (3+3+2). A broken line that is STATIC — it stays as Yin. Symbol: ⚋
9 = Old Yang: All three coins show Yang (3+3+3). A solid line that is CHANGING — it will transform into Yin in the changed hexagram. Symbol: ⚊◯
Only "Old" lines (6 and 9) are changing lines. They represent energy at its extreme — when Yang reaches its peak, it flips to Yin, and vice versa. This is the essence of the I Ching's core philosophy: when anything reaches its extreme, it reverses. The changing lines produce the "Changed Hexagram" (变卦).
The hexagram is built from bottom to top: the first toss becomes Line 1 (bottom), the sixth toss becomes Line 6 (top). This sequence mirrors the natural order of growth — from the root upward.
Source: Wikipedia — I Ching divination, §Three-coin method; Traditional Liuyao practice manuals
HEXAGRAM TRANSFORMATIONS
Nuclear, Opposite, and Reversed hexagrams — three dimensions of a single reading
NUCLEAR HEXAGRAM
The hidden inner structure within every hexagram
The Nuclear Hexagram (互卦 Hù Guà), also called the "Interlocking" or "Interior" hexagram, is derived by extracting the inner four lines (lines 2, 3, 4, 5) of the original hexagram and recombining them into a new hexagram.
Construction method: Lines 2, 3, and 4 of the original hexagram form the lower trigram of the nuclear hexagram. Lines 3, 4, and 5 form the upper trigram. Note that lines 3 and 4 are shared between both trigrams.
The nuclear hexagram reveals the deeper, hidden developments within the current situation — the "story beneath the story." In Liuyao practice, it is consulted when you need to understand the root cause or the intermediate process that is not visible from the surface hexagram alone.
OPPOSITE HEXAGRAM
The mirror-negative: every line inverted
The Opposite Hexagram (错卦 Cuò Guà) is obtained by inverting every single line of the original hexagram: all Yang lines become Yin, and all Yin lines become Yang. It is the binary complement — the photographic negative.
The opposite hexagram represents the polar-opposite perspective. If the original hexagram shows your viewpoint, the opposite hexagram reveals how the other party sees the exact same event. It embodies the principle of yin-yang duality in action.
REVERSED HEXAGRAM
Flipping the hexagram upside-down for an alternate viewpoint
The Reversed Hexagram (综卦 Zōng Guà), also known as the "Inverted" hexagram, is produced by flipping the entire hexagram upside down — the top line becomes the bottom line, and vice versa.
This transformation represents seeing the same situation from a completely different temporal or positional vantage point. If the original hexagram reflects the beginning of an affair, the reversed hexagram shows its conclusion, or how someone on the other side of the table perceives it.
Some hexagrams are symmetrical and produce the same hexagram when reversed (e.g., Hexagram 1 乾, Hexagram 2 坤, Hexagram 27 颐, Hexagram 28 大过). These are called "non-reversible" hexagrams. King Wen deliberately paired hexagrams in the traditional sequence so that each pair consists of a hexagram and its reverse.
PRACTICAL GUIDE: 3 STEPS TO READ A HEXAGRAM
How to actually decode the matrix
Step 1: Find the "Yong Shen"
Determine what the question is about, and find the corresponding Kinship. If asking about money -> Look at the Wealth (妻财) line. If asking about a job -> Look at the Authority (官鬼) line. If asking about a child's wellbeing -> Look at the Offspring (子孙) line. This is your anchor point.
Step 2: Check the Environment
Look at the Month and Day Masters at the very top of the chart. Do they generate (support) your Focus Line, or do they overcome (restrain) it? If your Wealth line is Wood, and the Month is Metal, the Wealth line is under seasonal pressure. Even if the hexagram looks promising, the environment needs caution.
Step 3: Watch the Action
Look for Changing Lines (marked with circles ◯ or ×). Changing lines act as active narrative events. If a Changing Line generates your Focus Line, it may suggest a benefactor or turn of events. If it turns around to overcome your Focus Line, it may point to an obstacle or complication.
ADVANCED MECHANICS
Key variables for when the reading turns or becomes more complex.
1. Xun Kong
If a line falls into "Emptiness" based on the 10-day cycle, its power is treated as suspended. Even if your Wealth line is heavily supported by the Month and Day, if it is "Empty", the reading may suggest that the money is not yet solid or available.
2. Fei & Fu
What if you are asking about a job, but there is no Authority line in the entire hexagram? It may be "Hidden" (Fu Shen) beneath a "Flying" line (Fei Shen). The reader then looks "under the hood" to find it and checks whether the Flying line is suppressing it.
3. Chong & He
Beyond generic elements, specific earth branches physically attract (Combo/合) or repel (Clash/冲). Combos mean entanglement, delay, or cooperation. Clashes mean dispersal, sudden conflict, or extremely swift action.
4. Jin & Tui
When a changing line shifts into the exact same element but steps forward in the calendar sequence (e.g., Shen Metal changing to You Metal), it is "Advancing" — its power snowballs. If it steps backward, it is "Retreating" — the situation cools off and fades away.
5. HuiTou
When a changing line transforms into a completely different element, it can turn around to generate (protect) or overcome (challenge) the original line. This is often an important dynamic.
6. ShenSha
Specific celestial markers like the Stagecoach (movement/transfer), Peach Blossom (romance), and Heavenly Noble (benefactor symbolism) that add qualitative flavor to an event.
7. SanHe
When three specific Earthly Branches activate together (e.g., Shen, Zi, Chen), traditional readers treat them as forming a strong elemental combination (Water Combo). This can outweigh simpler line-by-line readings.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the difference between Liuyao and the I Ching?+
Which of the Six Relationships indicates money?+
Why does the exact same hexagram yield a different reading today versus tomorrow?+
What is the role of a Changing Line?+
Source: "The Forest of Changes" (易林) ; Jing Fang's Najia System (京房易传) ; Wikipedia — I Ching §Three-coin method